Engineering Materials

Composites
James Marrow

Composites
Overview:
Fibre Reinforced Composites
Particle Reinforced Composites
Structural Composites
Processing
Applications
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Fibre Reinforced Composites

Main types:

Continuous aligned.
Discontinuous and
aligned
Discontinuous and
randomly oriented

Fibre length and orientation affect properties

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Fibre Reinforced Composites

Rule of Mixtures

Continuous aligned fibres, stiffness parallel to

fibres

Ec Em 1 V f E f V f

Isostrain conditions

Fc Fm F f

c m f
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Fibre Reinforced Composites

Rule of Mixtures

Continuous aligned fibres, stiffness perpendicular

to fibres

Ec

Em E f

EmV f E f Vm

Isostress conditions

c m f

c Vm m V f f

Transverse stiffness is much less than longitudinal stiffness

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Fibre Reinforced Composites

Failure in Tension
Stage I

Matrix yields

Stage II

Fibres fracture

Failure strain of fibres << failure strain

of matrix in most composites
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Fibre Reinforced Composites

SiC/Ti Bling
(Blade Turbine Ring)

Discontinuous Fibre
Composites
Discontinuous fibre
composites (aligned
fibres)

These give less

reinforcement than
continuous fibre
composites, but they
are easier and
cheaper to
manufacture

Stress is transferred by shear between the

fibre and the matrix.
The critical length for optimum
reinforcement depends on fibre strength,
diameter and interface strength
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Short fibre Reinforced

Composite
Short fibres are easiest
to process.
Alignment can be
controlled by material
flow.

Short fibre reinforced composite

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Typical Fibre Composites

Glass-Fibre Reinforced
Polymer (GFRP)

Glass easily drawn to

fibre
Chemically inert
Protected by matrix
from environment and
damage
Matrix is usually a
thermoset

Re-bar for concrete

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Typical Fibre Composites

Carbon-Fibre
Reinforced Polymer
(CFRP)

High specific strength

and stiffness fibres
High temperature
properties
Chemically inert
Cutting CFRP PrePreg
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Typical Fibre Composites

Carbon-Fibre
Reinforced Polymer
(CFRP)

Curing CFRP Composite

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Typical Fibre Composites

Aramid-Fibre
Reinforced Polymer
(Kevlar)

Kevlar fibre has high

specific strength and
stiffness
Molecules aligned
parallel to fibre axis
Good ductility
Kevlar Fibre Crystal Structure
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Typical Fibre Composites

Aramid-Fibre
Reinforced Polymer
(Kevlar)
Flame
resistant
(Nomex)

Kevlar Fibre Winding to manufacture composite

pressure vessel
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Particle Reinforced Composites

Large Particles

Concrete
SiC-Aluminium
Polymers

Small Particles
(Dispersion)

Oxide disperion in
aluminium
Thoria in Nickel

Cemented Carbide (WC-Co)

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Particle Reinforced Composites

Elastic Modulus
(Rule of Mixtures)
Load is shared
between the
components
Upper and lower bound
stiffness are the same as
calculated for fibre
reinforced composites

Elastic Modulus of WC-Co

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Particle Reinforced Composite

Particle reinforced
composites include:

Al-SiC
WC-Co
Polymers

Carbon in rubber
Particle reinforced metal
matrix composite

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Structural Composites
Laminar Composites

Fibre orientation varies

between layers to
reduce the anisotropy of
composite properties

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Structural Composites
Sandwich Panels

Two outer sheets of

high performance
material, separated by
low density core
The outer sheets take
most of the load

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Summary
Composites are artificial, multiphase
materials which combine the best properties
of both phases.
Reinforcement is greatest for fibres, but
processing is easiest for particles.
Composites are engineered structural
materials
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